1950s Reg Preston and Gus McLaren Pottery Cat

Gus McLaren originally worked on the Argus Newspaper as a cartoonist. In the early 1950s Gus and his wife Betty moved to Warrandyte in Melbourne where they met potter Reg Preston. They lived and worked with Reg for some time before setting up their own pottery - Yarraridge. Gus and Reg began designing and producing earthenware animals in the late 1950s.

This piece is a whimsical and mischievous looking cat and is signed Regus which is a combination of Reg and Gus. Gus passed away in 2008. His wife Betty is still making wonderful animals in her studio at Merimbula.

I came across this piece at an auction and it was mixed in with a shelf of sundries. I bought the whole shelf just for the cat as I appreciate its sense of humour and retro look. There were many Australian potteries after World War Two making items for the domestic market – some practical and others purely decorative.

The number of Australian commercial potteries started to wane towards the end of the 1950s as they found it increasingly hard to compete against cheap Japanese imports.